For The Record review of Do The Collapse

For The Record

Guided By Voices
Do The Collapse
TVT

Thanks to Dave Murrow

Robert Pollard and his band, Guided By Voices, have
been favorites of many music critics ever since they
first started churning out homemade cassettes in
Pollard's living room. Over a countless number of
Guided By Voices albums, EPs, singles, side projects,
and solo albums, Polalrd and company have stayed true
to the same formula: write a catchy song, give it
bizarre stream-of-consciousness lyrics, and record it
quickly and cheaply. That last bit changes on Do the
Collapse, the band's first release on TVT Records. For
starters, the band worked with an actual producer for
this record – none other than former Cars frontman Ric
Ocasek, who has also produced albums for Weezer, Nada
Surf, and Bad Religion. Ocasek polishes up GBV's
"diamond in the rough" sound, but maintains the band's
lo-fi charm.

"Teenage FBI" starts this disc off like most GBV
disc's – a simple drum rhythm leads into Pollard's
instantly recognizable drone. By the chorus, though,
it's clear that this is not the old Guided By Voices.
There are (gasp!) bouncy keyboards, and the recording
is crisp and clear. Another track, "Hold on Hope,"
features some of Pollard's most accessible and
uplifting lyrics yet. The song is straightforward and
poignant – a departure for Pollard, but an admirable
one. "Surgical Focus" is a simple rock number, but it
works. It works so well, in fact, that it ranks right
up there with GBV's "Bulldog Skin." The disc's closer,
"An Unmarketed Product," sounds like a long-lost
Pixies track.

Together, Pollard and Ocasek have crafted Guided By
Voices' most polished and ambitious album yet. Do the
Collapse is a different creature than GBV classics
like Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes, but it's every bit
as interesting and rewarding.